3 Tips For a Mildew-Free Bathroom

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The secret to a mildew-free bathroom, especially in summer, is to rid the room of heat and humidity as quickly as possible. Mold spores thrive in warm, moist conditions, so to cut down on cleaning time, keep your bathroom as cool and dry as possible. Here are my favorite ways to stop mildew in its tracks:

1. Ventilate the room This is probably the most important thing you can do. Before each shower, open the window, open the door (at least a crack) to facilitate airflow, and if you have an exhaust fan, switch it on. In fact, keep the fan running for at least

20 minutes after you get out of the shower to purge as much moisture as possible from the room.

2. Squeegee the tiles In my house the rule is last one out of the shower wipes it down. To make it super easy, I keep Casabella's Clip-On Silicone Squeegee ($10, below) hanging from the showerhead. It takes me (or my husband) just seconds to go over the tiled walls and tub sending virtually all of the residual water down the drain. Motivated to do more? After squeegeeing, quickly

dry the walls with an old towel and mildew will definitely have to find another place to live.

3. Stretch open the shower curtain Wet, bunched up towels and shower curtains are inviting places for mold spores to hide. Help these fabrics dry quickly by draping towels neatly on a towel rod or hanging them on individual door or wall-mounted hooks. Extend the shower curtain liner along the rod so the water trapped inside the folds can evaporate. Also, launder curtain liners regularly to remove the mineral deposits and soap scum residue that mold spores like to munch on.

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